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Hey Travel Massive community 👋
I’m Niki, founder of AirTrackBot.
Since 2017, I’ve been building tools that help travelers find better flight prices. Today, we’re launching something we’ve wanted to build for a long time - AirTrackBot Flight Deals, a free AI-powered tool for discovering unusually good fares.
We built it to help travelers find fares that are often 30 to 60% cheaper than typical prices, and sometimes even more.
Since there are already products in this space, here’s what makes ours different.
1. Free to use
No monthly or yearly subscription just to see great deals.
2. Smarter deal ranking
A cheap flight is not always a good deal.
Our deal score looks at several things that actually matter when choosing a flight, including price savings, direct vs connecting flights, travel dates, airline quality, and destination appeal.
So instead of showing random cheap flights, we try to surface deals that are actually worth considering.
3. Flexible or specific destination search
This was one of the most requested things from our users.
You can search for flexible deals from your city to anywhere, or narrow it down to a particular region like Europe, Asia, South America, or the Caribbean.
But you can also choose a specific destination and we’ll look for deals to that exact place — for example, Tokyo, Rome, or New York.
That way, the product works both for people who are open to inspiration and for people who already know where they want to go.
4. Search around your trip style
You can filter deals by things like:
• Destination region
• Specific destination
• Trip length, such as weekend, 1 week, or 2 weeks
• Travel window, such as a specific month or date range
• Trip type, such as beach, warm weather, history and culture, nightlife, food, and more
• Budget
This makes it easier to find deals that match the kind of trip you actually want to take.
5. AI search in plain English
Instead of clicking through filters, you can just type what you’re looking for in plain English.
For example:
“Weekend beach trip from Rome under €150”
or
“Cheap flights from Porto to Asia in August or September”
AirTrackBot uses AI to understand your trip idea, turn it into the right search filters, and find matching flight deals.
6. Flight deal alerts
You can also create alerts for the kind of deals you care about, so you don’t have to keep checking manually.
Just customize your search, create an alert, and get fresh deals delivered to your inbox.
We’re really excited to share this with the Travel Massive community.
We’d love to hear your feedback, ideas, questions, and criticism, especially around the search experience, filters, and deal quality.
👉 Try it at airtrackbot.com/flight-deals
Thanks for checking it out!
Niki
Whether you are a travel advisor writing a customized itinerary for a high-end client, a hotel manager drafting a welcome email, or simply an everyday traveler trying to build a itnerary, you have likely run into the same frustrating wall with AI.
You open the tool, type in your request, and get a response that is competent, but completely generic. It reads like it was written by someone who has never met you.
Article image #square-1
*"Make it more exciting"*
Usually, our first instinct is to reply to the AI with vague directions like, "Make it warmer," "Make it more exciting," or "Make it better." But each time you do this, the AI just inches toward another version of the same bland, cliché-filled response.
The Problem: You Are Giving AI a "Mood," Not a Standard
Most people can tell when an AI draft feels off, but they struggle to articulate exactly *why* it failed. When you tell an AI tool to "make it better," you are giving it a mood rather than a concrete standard to follow.
AI is inherently trained to please you, and when it isn't given strict boundaries, it falls back on its worst habits: corporate speak, generic "cheerleader" openers, and overly enthusiastic adjectives. If you ask it to make a description of a Rome walking tour "more exciting," it will just add more exclamation points and words like "breathtaking" and "unforgettable."
The gap between a draft that is just "okay" and one that is "exactly what I needed" is where most people quietly give up and decide AI isn't actually that useful for their travel needs. But the failure isn't the tool—it's how we ask it to revise.
The Fix: Tell AI What to Leave Out
The most useful move you can make when an AI draft is almost there is to pause and ask yourself: *What exactly failed here, and what standard does the next version need to meet?*
Instead of telling the AI what to add, tell it what to leave out. For example, if an AI writes a clunky, overly dense summary of a complex visa requirement or travel policy, do not tell it to "make it better." Instead, give it precise instructions like:
This is doing three jobs at once. Make the headline the main claim, keep only the evidence that supports that claim, and move everything else out.
The Missing Ingredient: Relationship Context
There is one more crucial sentence that most people never add to their AI requests. If your prompts are decent but yielding generic results, it is likely because you are missing relationship context.
AI doesn't know who is speaking and who is listening. If you are a boutique hotel owner emailing a returning VIP guest, or a luxury travel agent pitching a honeymoon to a young couple, *tell the AI that*. One single sentence defining the relationship between the writer and the reader is often the difference between a fine output and a genuinely useful one.
Your FREE Copy-Paste Prompt
Next time you need AI to write an itinerary, a property description, or a travel email, do not start from scratch and do not settle for the first generic response.
Use this copy-paste template to set a strict standard, define the relationship, and tell the AI exactly what to avoid:
*Copy everything below and fill in the blanks. Tweak as you go to make it yours*
I need you to write a [insert format: e.g., 3-day itinerary / welcome email / tour description] for [insert destination/product]. I am a [your role, e.g., local travel expert / hotel manager] writing to [your audience, e.g., a family of four / a returning VIP guest]. Our relationship is [describe tone/relationship: e.g., professional but warm, we have known them for years, they trust us for off-the-beaten-path advice].
The Rules for This Draft
- Do not use generic travel clichés (e.g., "breathtaking," "hidden gem," "unforgettable").
- Keep the tone conversational but direct.
- Leave out any unnecessary introductory filler or cheerleader enthusiasm. Jump straight into the value.
*[Rain Takahashi](www.travelmassive.com/@ra_raines) is a Canadian tech entrepreneur, travel-tech consultant, and travel blogger at [Rain Travels](raintravels.com). He is also a community leader for the [Toronto Travel Massive](www.travelmassive.com/posts/toronto-travel-massive-156537040) which connect tourism and travel professionals in Toronto and Canada at industry-led networking events and workshops.*
Great advice. From my experience, Claude maintains some context about who you are across chats, especially when using projects (which lets you define context and files for each chat). One thing I recently observed is that you can get away with typos and spelling mistakes when instructing your agent— it will figure out what you mean!
Brilliant, thanks for this!
Thanks for the feedback. I'm hoping to turn this into a series. :)
I use Claude as well, and I've noticed it works best when I bring my own experience into the prompt. The quality usually comes from the person asking the question, not from generic prompts like "give me better options." Industry knowledge + AI is a pretty powerful combination.
Good text!
A couple of months ago I shared DestinationHub here as we kicked off our pilot programs. Today I'm excited to say we're officially out of beta!
A quick reminder of why this exists: I've spent my career in geography and spatial software, and as a lifelong traveler I kept hitting the same wall. The self-guided tour content was great — and then someone handed me a PDF. Try navigating from a PDF on a street corner and you'll understand why I built this.
DestinationHub takes the stop-by-stop tour content organizations have already invested in — walking tours, heritage trails, main street routes, scenic drives — and turns it into an interactive, navigable experience for visitors, with no app download required.
Since our first rendition we've added a lot:
• Trail support and multi-mode tours
• Retail locations and public art
• Games like iSpy (in the works)
And a couple of things worth re-emphasizing from day one: built-in analytics so you can see how visitors actually engage with your content, and tour-completion experiences that funnel users to partner destinations, donation pages, or advertiser content.
We've also turned our map experience into an embeddable, so organizations can drop it straight into their existing website, with more richness and configurability than Google Maps.
DestinationHub is built for DMOs, CVBs, and any organization sitting on great tour content that's stranded in print or PDF. We'll even build your content in the platform for you before handing over the keys to an easy-to-use dashboard.
Currently available to US-based organizations. Take a look at destinationhub.io or get in touch — I'd love to connect!
Oh very cool concept!
Congratulations on the launch! Interesting concept! Do you have a demo?
For the first time, [Bangkok Travel Massive](www.travelmassive.com/posts/bangkok-travel-massive-309854891) went on tour and hosted an [industry social in Pattaya](www.travelmassive.com/events/travel-massive-industry-social-pattaya-edition-5671070723) last week, on the eve of [Thailand Travel Mart Plus 2026](www.thailandtravelmartplus.com) (TTM+) — Thailand’s flagship B2B travel trade event hosted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
The gathering brought together hospitality professionals from across Bangkok and Pattaya, representing a range of organisations including: *12Go Asia, Maduzi Hotel Group, UNWTO Affiliates, Rembrandt Hotel Bangkok, Daidawo Haikao Travel Co., Ltd, TTG Asia Media, and the Travel and Pamper vlog*.
Hosted at [Birdland Moods Ville in Pattaya](www.instagram.com/birdlandmoodsville/), the evening offered a warm and intimate setting in which attendees formed new connections over fine food, wine, and thoughtful conversation about the city's evolving travel scene. The strong turnout reflected genuine enthusiasm within the local travel community for events of this kind.
We look forward to hosting further meetups in Pattaya. Those interested in taking part in future gatherings are warmly invited to contact the [Bangkok Travel Massive](www.travelmassive.com/posts/bangkok-travel-massive-309854891) co-leaders, who would be glad to hear from you. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy these photographs from the evening.
Congratulations on a successful gathering!
It's great to see the travel community in Thailand growing stronger through events like these. As a tour operator from Turkmenistan, I always enjoy seeing professionals come together to exchange ideas and create new opportunities for collaboration.
Hopefully one day we'll also welcome some Travel Massive members to discover Turkmenistan and the hidden gems of Central Asia.
Greetings from Turkmenistan!
Thank you, Batyr, for your comment! Indeed I'm sure our Travel Massive members would be delighted to visit Turkmenistan, should they have the chance. I myself also have my eye on Central Asia as well - it is a beautiful and fascinating region with so much to discover.
Last week, I had the opportunity to visit Koytendag in eastern Turkmenistan, and it reminded me how much of this country remains largely unknown to international travelers.
While Turkmenistan is often associated with the Karakum Desert, Koytendag offers a completely different experience. The region is home to rugged mountains, dramatic canyons, caves, waterfalls, and one of the world's most remarkable paleontological sites — the famous Dinosaur Plateau with its ancient fossilized footprints.
What impressed me most was the feeling of space and solitude. In an era when many destinations struggle with overtourism, places like Koytendag still offer a genuine sense of discovery.
For those interested in nature, geology, and off-the-beaten-path destinations, Koytendag is certainly one of Central Asia's hidden gems.
Have you visited a place that completely changed your perception of a country?
For anyone wondering where Koytendag is:
maps.app.goo.gl/V8Kpa8PFRxTf1Td97
www.atlasobscura.com/places/kyrk-gyz-cave
Thanks, Ian!
Yes, Koytendag is one of Turkmenistan’s most spectacular and least-known regions. Besides the famous Kyrk Gyz Cave, the area is home to dinosaur footprints, dramatic canyons, mountain lakes, and some of the country’s most beautiful landscapes.
It’s definitely a hidden gem for travelers looking for something beyond the usual tourist routes. Thanks for sharing the links and helping put Koytendag on the map!
Hopefully more adventurous travelers will discover this incredible part of Turkmenistan in the future.
I’d be happy to show you around Koytendag on your next visit to Turkmenistan! 😄
Gorgeous photos! 😍
Thank you to everyone who joined us in Sydney last week for our [Travel Industry Social at Caption by Hyatt](www.travelmassive.com/events/sydney-june-travel-industry-networking-6742734598). It was a fun evening of great conversation and connection across the travel industry.
We were delighted to welcome long-time members alongside plenty of new faces — hoteliers, travel writers, travel tech professionals, and tourism marketing and event specialists. The [TalkShop at Caption by Hyatt](www.instagram.com/talkshopsydney/) made the perfect setting: bright, vibrant, and just steps from the Capitol Theatre in Haymarket.
A massive thanks to Peter and the whole Caption team for an outstanding evening. We were absolutely blown away by your hospitality and generosity - the canapes were delicious, and the winners of the Lion King tickets in the raffle were delighted!
See you at our next Sydney event! 👋
*Want to be part of events like this? Join the [Sydney Travel Massive](www.travelmassive.com/posts/sydney-travel-massive-137260029) community to stay updated on upcoming events, and contact [Sarah Rhodes](www.travelmassive.com/@sarah-rhodes) if you’d like to sponsor an event.*
Caption just raised the bar! What a fun event last week, it was great to catch up with everyone and delighted for our members that won some tickets to see the Lion King!
A few weeks ago, London Travel Massive and hoppswap brought together travellers, locals and content creators to experience Walthamstow, East London through the people who know it best, its locals.
A big to Matthew and everyone from the London Travel Massive community who joined us to share a wonderful evening of connection and truly local experiences.
The evening began at God’s Own Junkyard, home to the iconic neon signs that once lit up Soho, before heading to Mothers Ruin #1 for gin in Time Out for a live gin making session. We finished in the home of a hoppswap member, sharing drinks, stories and conversations with people who had only just met.
For us, that’s what travel should be about. Not just seeing places, but connecting with people, culture and local communities along the way.
And that’s exactly what we’re building at hoppswap: a social travel community where members connect with like minded travellers, experience destinations through locals and unlock affordable travel through home swapping.
The evening was also a way to celebrate our new "Founding Circle" for early supporters of hoppswap. Learn more at www.hoppswap.com/founding-members
See you at the next event and thanks to everyone who joined us!
👇 Social links:
God’s Own Junkyard: instagram.com/gods.ownjunkyard/
Mothers Ruin #1: instagram.com/MOTHERSRUINE17/
hoppswapp: instagram.com/hoppswap/
Looks so fun!
It was so fun Eileen, hats off to everyone who made the trip and played a role in making it such a fun evening!
Hey Travel Massive fam 👋
I'm Marius, co-founder and CEO of iWander. We're a London-based travel tech startup that I founded with my brother, Antoine (CTO), and this week we launched our iOS app, so this felt like the right moment to properly introduce ourselves to this community.
Why we built iWander:
Antoine (@antoine-nigond) and I grew up in an expat, nomadic family, so travel has been the backdrop of our whole lives. My previous startup was a platform for self-guided audio tours (and I wrote a great many of them myself) while Antoine was building fintech and spent his evenings dabbling with AI. When generative AI exploded, we realised the thing we'd always wanted to build was finally possible: a personal walking tour, on demand, for anyone, in any city.
Because here's the problem we kept running into: everyone agrees a great guided tour is the best way to discover a city, yet few travellers actually do them. Fixed start times, fixed routes, forty strangers moving at the slowest person's pace, and a price tag that excludes most independent travellers. There's no way to pause for a coffee, follow a side street that caught your eye, or quietly slip away at minute thirty.
What iWander does:
You type in any city (or just tap once, wherever you're standing), pick how long you want to walk, press play, and iWander builds a personal audio walking tour in about thirty seconds, narrated by a character guide yof your choice. Pause for a coffee, skip a section, take the long way home: the guide walks at your pace, not the other way round.
A few things under the hood we're proud of:
- 1,000+ cities, 9 languages, with tours tuned to the time of day, the weather, and what's actually open.
- A 6.5-million-place curated stories layer, from the bakery open since 1822 to the café where Hemingway wrote. The two years we spent building this database and the storytelling engine on top of it is what turns a list of stops into an actual tour with a beginning, middle and end.
- 60+ curated tours across 25 destinations, written and recorded by world-class local storytellers, because no algorithm can replace someone who knows a city street by street.
- Ask anything: point your camera at a building or ask out loud, and get a location-aware answer.
- In-app booking for the attractions, restaurants and events you discover along the way.
What we'd love from this community:
Here's the honest bit. For the past two years we've been heads-down on the B2B tech side, building the engine and working with enterprise partners. Now that the consumer app is live, it's the right time to build out the brand: our tribe, our social presence, our community of wanderers. And frankly, that's the part we need help with.
So if you're a creator, storyteller, marketer, community builder, or just someone who loves this space and wants to get involved and help us grow, please reach out. I'd love to talk.
And of course, try the app and tell me where it falls short. It's free to download with 30 free audio minutes on sign-up. If you want a live demo, drop a city + a theme + a duration in the comments (e.g. "90-minute food-and-history walk through Lisbon at sunset") and I'll share what iWander comes up with.
📱 App Store: apps.apple.com/gb/app/iwander-travel-guides/id6504555425
🌍 Website: www.iwander.io
💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/iwander
Happy to answer any questions: about the product, the storytelling engine, or what it's like building a startup with your brother 😅.
Thanks!
Marius
Hi Marius,
Thanks for sharing iWander and your story with the Travel Massive community.
First, it's fantastic to see your product finally launch since we met at our London Travel Massive and Travel Trends Social during WTM week last November. You guys have been keeping busy!
Me and @kckiwigirl tried iWander out in Melbourne, and this is the first AI generated city guide that makes me feel excited about this kind of tech. The UX is truly great... from the way it compiles a linear route and researches the web for stories and anecdotes to tell you in a story-based format.
Clearly an incredible amount of human effort has gone on to developing iWander, so hats off to you and Marius.
In terms of initial feedback — I would have liked to choose an Australian mascot for our tour guide. Perhaps a Wombat or Wallaby since we're in Australia? Maybe there's some more characters to unlock in the upgrade based on the country you are visiting.
Also, when is an Android version coming? And what are you planning next?
Would love to have a wombat! Great idea!
This is a great app! We also enjoyed trialling it in a more off-beat location outside a major city (Bacchus Marsh) and it gave some awesome intel. Look forward to checking it out in more places! I hope London is treating you well as summer comes to town :)
Very impressive Marius
Congratulations to you and your brother for building this, it looks like a monumental amount of work has gone into getting to this stage and it looks fantastic!
Have you got a timeframe on when it will be on Google Play?
Hi Ian,
Thanks so much for the positive feedback and the comments! I love the fact that you've picked up that we've spent a huge amount of time refining the narrative - and not just stringing a bunch of POIs together in a route that makes sense. This has definitely been the biggest part of the development, so it's encouraging to see that people recognise this.
To answer your question re: the wombat/other avatars: yes, yes and yes! We want to really have fun with the avatars, generating dynimic avatars with local accents and features, allowing users to build their own avatars/guides, and also offering the ability to individual creators and human guides to create "digital twin" avatars so they can keep guiding customers digitally.
Android work is underway, and there are still plenty of exciting updates coming to the iOS app in the next few weeks.
But my priority now is to now grow our iWander tribe - both in terms of user adoption and team/contributors! If anyone has thoughts or would like to help out on this (especially social media), please reach out!
Thanks so much Casey, and love the fact that you stress-tested it in more off-the-beaten track locations! Our goal is for the guide to be able to tell you great stories anywhere in the world, whether it's a major location or completely off-grid. Still some work to do to really crack all off-grid places, but it's getting there! Please do keep sharing feedback with me
Thanks a lot, Nick! Android development is under way and we expect to have it ready later this summer. And still plenty of iterating on iOS that we are understanding more about how customers are using and interacting with the technology.
Would love to hear how it performs on some of your top destinations in Wales - maybe there's a way we can work together on this?
That's great to know, look forward to it.
I've got a few ideas, sure you do too. It would be great to have a chat to see what works. I'll drop you a DM.
That would be great!
Hi Marius,
Firstly, congratulations to you and Antoine on the launch. It's always exciting to see people trying to make travel more accessible through innovation and making use of AI in the best possible manner.
As someone who spends a lot of time designing and leading local experiences in Mumbai and India, I absolutely relate to your point about travellers wanting flexibility. I've often noticed that although people love joining walking tours but they always want to do it at their own pace, which is fair.
The point where you say that no two travellers experience a place in the same way, is 100% true. Rarely do tour operators who conduct these walking tours take this into consideration.
Hope you expand to India soon. It's certainly a challenging market, but one with tremendous depth, character, and curiosity. I'd be interested to see how travellers respond to a platform like this here.
Wishing you both the very best with the journey ahead.
Thanks so much Sayali! We find India such an interesting market (both outbound and inbound). The platform is already set up to cater to Indian destinations - I'd be very keen to hear what you think of it.
That's awesome, Marius! Extremely happy to hear that you are already set up for the Indian market.
The variety here is huge: food, history, architecture, local communities, markets, art and so much more.
Mumbai itself is host to a lot of diverse local experiences.
I've often seen travellers spend days trying to soak in the city's energy, yet leave feeling there's still so much more to explore.
I'd be happy to try the platform and share my thoughts.
Looking forward to seeing how it evolves. Best of luck: )
Love this, as I love quirky sites and places!
looks interesting. what is the timeline for release in Android?
Well done on an excellent product. Looking forward to realistic human tour guides.
Thanks a lot Nathan! Just a quick question on this - would you rather have a human tour guide avatar rather than the animal characters?
We've experimented with both and intially wanted to launch with a duo-lingo style-guide approach to make the brand more memorable. However, I see huge potential to offer more realistic human guides, even working with guides to create digital twins. I'd be interested to learn if this would be more relevant for you?
Hi Marius,
Congratulations on the launch!
I really enjoyed reading your story and the philosophy behind iWander. The combination of storytelling, local discovery, human curation, and AI is particularly interesting.
I run Soul Dreamers in Lisbon, a cultural immersion experience focused on hidden gems, storytelling, multicultural communities, gastronomy, street art, and live music. A large part of what we do revolves around helping people connect more deeply with places through stories and human encounters, so I found a lot of resonance with some of the ideas you’re exploring.
I’d love to try the app and perhaps exchange thoughts at some point on experience design, storytelling, AI, and the future of travel. I suspect there may be some interesting overlaps.
Congratulations again on the launch and wishing you and Antoine lots of success.
Cheers,
Teddy
Hi, Teddy!! Hope you are well! Are you going to the Lisbon TM? My friend Amylee will be there - would love for you to meet her! She lives in Nazare :)
Hey Casey! I will be in Colombia then, and back on 4th July. Please introduce us though!
Hey Teddy! Thanks a lot for your message!
Soul Dreamers sounds like a wonderful concept!
I'd be super interested to hear whether you think an experience like iWander would be complementary to what you offer at Soul Dreamers (e.g. before/after a Soul Dreamers experience), or whether you think there's no overlap between the two audiences.
Would love to discuss more once you've had a chance to try out the app!
Hi Marius,
That’s actually a very interesting question.
My first instinct is that the two are mostly complementary rather than competitive.
Soul Dreamers isn’t really trying to solve the “how do I discover a city?” problem. It’s more about creating meaningful human encounters through storytelling, local communities, food, music, and shared experiences. A lot of what guests remember are the conversations and unexpected moments that happen between people.
What I find interesting about iWander is that it could potentially help people discover a place before or after joining an experience like ours. Someone might use it to explore independently during the day and then join Soul Dreamers in the evening for a deeper social and cultural immersion.
I also think there is an interesting overlap around storytelling. The question I’ve been exploring for years is how technology can help people discover places without removing the human element that makes travel meaningful.
I’ll definitely give the app a proper try and would be happy to compare notes afterwards. I suspect there are some fascinating conversations to be had there.
You can connect with her @amylee on here - I'll let her know to look out for you! :)
yes, please connect us!
Can't wait to try it out, I have an Android so I am on the waiting list.
Thanks Tracy! Will let you know once it's ready!
Hi Marius I am a language tour guide from Cape Town, South Africa and came across this post by pure luck. Congratulations to both of you. What a brilliant idea. I cannot wait to hear more about it and like Tracy above, I also have an Android and put my name down on the waiting list. One thing to keep in mind as far as South Africa is concerned (if you haven't already taken that into consideration) is SAFETY! Unfortunately in this beautiful city of ours, safety is a number one priority and walking without a guide or someone who knows the city well, is asking for trouble. I wish it wasn't, but sadly it is. Thanks again and so excited to hear more. Waiting in anticipation Christel icoexist2@gmail.com
Ok, I want to know about this!
These Apps are good for developed countries, places like Uganda here where network is limited hmmm. maybe we should think of offline Apps for travel.
I'm a developer based in Paris. I built a budget-first travel discovery tool. Would love feedback from travel people.
Most travel search starts with “where do you want to go?” I’m exploring the opposite: “I have 7 days and €800, where can I realistically go?”
The site is spontaneous.travel. It’s discovery-first, not a booking engine: fares are recently observed or estimated, and users verify final prices on Aviasales.
I’d especially love feedback on:
- whether this solves a real travel-planning pain
- whether the price labeling feels honest
- what travel professionals would expect before trusting this
I actually build something pretty similar, great minds think alike.
Hi Christophe, thanks for sharing spontaneous.travel with the Travel Massive community and joining us. This is a really cool tool, bravo!
I love the combination of flights and hotel estimated costs. The "cheapest trips / destinations" section is my favourite part and very helpful (e.g. spontaneous.travel/from/melbourne) and the UX feels really focused on helping the user solve a problem and get results fast.
My only design feedback is the primary brown/orange colour could be swapped for something more poppy like a purple/pink gradient. And a dark mode option please 😎
What made you go with Aviasales?
Best, Ian
Hey Ian,
Thanks for the kind words and the detailed feedback, really appreciated.
On Aviasales: I use the Travelpayouts API for flight data, and Aviasales is their main consumer brand (same company).
I've looked at other APIs but most have an active user threshold you need to hit before they'll let you in the door. Since I'm still early, that's a non-starter. Travelpayouts was the rare one that let me start small and scale up. I was planning on using Amadeus self-service, but they are shutting that down.
Re: the color I am with you on it ! I won't pretend I spent months on design. The amber/brown actually came from early Claude prototypes and I just stuck with it. You're right that it could pop more. I also specifically wanted to avoid blue because Skyscanner, Google, and Meta already own that space. Your purple/pink gradient idea is solid, I'll keep it in mind for a proper redesign down the line.
On that note, you don't happen to know anyone at Kiwi or Skyscanner (or any other API providers) who could help with API access? Most of the big players gate their APIs behind traffic thresholds and I'm not quite there yet. A warm intro would go a long way.
Thanks again!
Christophe
The is a cool site.I will give you some feedback on it.
Turkmenistan is one of the least-visited countries in the world, yet it offers some of the most unique travel experiences in Central Asia.
From the famous Darvaza Gas Crater ("Door to Hell") to the ancient Silk Road city of Merv, travelers can explore remarkable history, vast desert landscapes and a rich cultural heritage.
As a tourism professional based in Turkmenistan, I have seen growing interest from travelers looking for authentic and off-the-beaten-path destinations. Visitors are often surprised by the modern architecture of Ashgabat, the hospitality of local people and the diversity of experiences available across the country.
I'm curious to hear from other travel professionals:
What do you think is the biggest challenge when promoting lesser-known destinations to international travelers?
Greetings from Turkmenistan and looking forward to connecting with the Travel Massive community.
Having grown up in Tasmania (a small island at the bottom of Australia with about half a million population), the tourism challenges as a "lesser known" destination have been mostly about how people can get here.
For example — to get to Tasmania from anywhere other than New Zealand, you have to first arrive in Melbourne or Sydney (or another mainland capital) and then take a domestic flight, or a ferry to the island. This is friction that deters a lot of people, who after already having travelled for 20+ hours to get to Australia, don't want to spend another half a day getting to our beautiful island.
However — I'm kind of glad it's hard to get here. It means people make an effort to visit, and I'm sure it makes it feel like a more worthwhile experience when they finally get here. Plus, we're a small island and in some places are already seeing signs of overtourism.
For Turkmenistan, it seems like visa requirements are your friction? If you want more visitors, you need to make it easier. Any news on that?
Thanks, Ian. Tasmania is actually a great comparison.
Like Tasmania, part of Turkmenistan's appeal comes from the fact that it remains off the beaten path and attracts travelers looking for something unique rather than a mainstream destination.
I would say that visa requirements have traditionally been the biggest barrier for international visitors. However, there have been some positive changes recently, and the process is becoming more accessible than it was in the past.
In my experience, many travelers are genuinely interested in visiting Turkmenistan, but the visa process has often discouraged them before they even start planning their trip. If accessibility continues to improve, I believe we'll see growing interest from travelers seeking authentic and less-crowded destinations.
Like Tasmania, the challenge is finding the right balance between making a destination more accessible and preserving what makes it special in the first place.
Hi Batyr!
I hope all is well in incredible Turkmenistan! Are you based in Ashgabat? To this day it is one of the most fascinating places I have visited. I was blown away. It's such an interesting country, with incredible history and living traditions.
I'm going to respond from my point of view as someone who works in public relations and had Turkmenistan as one of many destinations to promote, plus I have travelled to TK and loved it. There are a few challenges, but these weaknesses can also double as strengths - imo TK just needs just the right amount of attention / tourism support at a national government level to attract the right kind of traveller...and to be able to promote itself accordingly and responsibly.
- Access - As Ian mentioned, the visa situation is tough and access is limited. This is a huge deterrent as it creates uncertainty. Even the most seasoned traveller wants to know they can enter a country at least a few months in advance. I went through a tour operator and was booked, but did not get my visa until three days before I was due to cross the border from Uzbekistan. It was the same for my Uzbek tour guide. Fortunately, we were both chill and it all worked out, but that border crossing is nerve-wracking :) Our guide was SENSATIONAL and I was so happy to see females running tours in TK! We became friends in time I was there.
- Infrastructure - Adventurous travellers don't mind bumpy roads, but many do. Hotels vary in terms of services and sometimes there is no service at all haha. I'd say this is the sign of an immature tourism industry and I personally enjoy the charm of that, but many "mainstream" travellers may not. Obviously options are better in ASB (and WHAT an insanely beautiful airport) but it's very different to what many travellers are used to.
- Promotion - TK is extremely tough to promote from a PR pov as the government actively seeks out journalists and creators (even if they are just tourism reporters looking to write an inspiring travel story) and denies them entry. Even me writing this post give me a bit of fear for future visits. I am sure you are familiar with Owadan, but I met their founder at his offices. It was an interesting chat when it comes to media! There's definitely a movement of people who would like to see Turkmenistan open up further and ease entry for travel press.
What I would preface this with is it needs to be carefully managed and taken slowly. It's such a precious place...so I'd say all parties proceed with caution to keep the desire for discovery high but in a way that can be delivered respectfully and responsibly. Where else can you be the only people on an active archaeological dig at a UNESCO world heritage site, or on one of the most epic ferris wheels in the world?!
I hope this helps! I can't wait to come back and see more and hopefully meet you. I have a couple of friends there now as we went off piste from the tour for a couple of days after ;)
Happy to chat anytime about one of my fave countries!
Best
Casey
Yeah, for someone like me who has never been there and only knowing what I've seen on TV from Turkmenistan it's a bad place to end up in a hospital, especially if you don't speak the language. Internet censorship is a big thing with VPN being illegal. Curfews applying to tourists and them being heavily monitored by the authorities. Tourists generally need to be accompanied by a certified local guide.
It sounds a bit like visiting North Korea. Destination for hardcore travelers who really want to be able to say they've seen it all might go there.
This might be untrue, but this is what the internet / TV tells me.
Hi Casey,
Thank you so much for your thoughtful message and for sharing your experience in Turkmenistan.
Yes, I am based in Ashgabat, and it means a lot to hear such kind words from someone who has actually visited and taken the time to understand our country beyond the stereotypes.
I completely agree with many of the points you mentioned, especially regarding visa procedures, accessibility, and international promotion. These are challenges that we face, but I also believe that Turkmenistan's uniqueness and authenticity are what make it so special for travelers seeking genuine discovery.
I'm very happy to hear that you enjoyed Ashgabat, Darvaza, and our UNESCO sites. Your comment about being alone at an archaeological site perfectly captures what makes travel here so different from many other destinations.
Thank you as well for your balanced perspective on tourism development. I also believe Turkmenistan should be introduced to the world carefully and responsibly, preserving its culture, traditions, and unique atmosphere.
I would love to stay in touch and continue exchanging ideas about tourism promotion and destination development. Hopefully, on your next visit, we will have the opportunity to meet in person and explore even more of Turkmenistan together.
Please send my regards to your friends currently traveling here.
Looking forward to staying connected.
Best regards,
Batyr
Hi Menno,
Thank you for sharing your honest perspective. I completely understand why many people have this impression, as most information about Turkmenistan available internationally tends to focus on politics rather than travel experiences.
Interestingly, many travelers arrive with similar expectations but leave with a completely different impression of the country. They are often surprised by the hospitality of local people, the safety, and the unique cultural and historical attractions.
Of course, Turkmenistan is not a typical mass-tourism destination, and there are visa requirements and travel regulations that make it different from many other countries. However, this is also part of what makes it such a unique destination for travelers seeking authentic and less-explored experiences.
Visitors come to see places such as the Darvaza Gas Crater, the ancient Silk Road cities, UNESCO World Heritage sites, the Karakum Desert, and the remarkable architecture of Ashgabat.
I hope one day you will have the opportunity to visit and experience the country for yourself. It would be interesting to hear how your impressions compare with what you've seen on TV and online.
Best regards,
Batyr
Thanks for your response, Batyr, and yeah, I completely agree that what one sees on TV or that one "captures" from what the media shares isn't always the right image. Hospitality in seemingly hostile countries is often very pronounced even though you wouldn't have expected it.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment.
I think that's very true. Some of the most memorable travel experiences happen when reality turns out to be very different from our expectations.
Many visitors come to Turkmenistan with a certain image in mind, but what they often remember most is the warmth of the people, the sense of safety, and the opportunity to experience a culture that has preserved many of its traditions.
Travel has a unique way of breaking stereotypes and helping us better understand places and people beyond headlines and media narratives.
Hopefully one day you'll have the chance to visit Turkmenistan yourself and see it through your own eyes.
Best regards,
Batyr
My pleasure, Batyr! The reality is certainly very different to the stereotypes!
Thank you, Casey! That's exactly what many visitors discover when they come here. The best way to understand Turkmenistan is to experience it in person. With its unique culture, rich history, and genuine hospitality, it often surprises first-time travelers. Thanks again for your support!
HERE'S THE NEXT 5 UPCOMING EVENTS:
The world's largest annual celebration of location-independent lifestyle. June 20-30, 2026 in Bansko, Bulgaria.
A week-long celebration of the remote lifestyle featuring curated conference sessions, networking, community led skill shares and an evening lineup of fun and interactive activities ranging from speed dating and karaoke to the pool party and bonfire night. The mountain environment provides the perfect atmosphere to build relationships, whether personal or professional.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnWN7AAS8Rc
Are you a business in the nomad economy?
Welcome to a new B2B gathering taking place just before Bansko Nomad Fest, designed to bring together the visionaries, ecosystem builders, and leading voices shaping the nomad economy. A focused space for strategic networking, insight exchange, and meaningful deal-making
Learn more about the B2B Industry Day (June 20) at banskonomadfest.com/industryday
Link to event pageTravel Massive Lisbon Relaunch Party — Under the Bridge at Escala 25
We're relaunching Travel Massive Lisbon and kicking things off in one of the city's most unique venues. Where travel people meet. Literally beneath one of the most iconic bridges in the world.
Join us at Escala 25, a climbing and social venue located beneath the iconic Ponte 25 de Abril, next to LX Factory in Alcântara. Surrounded by the dramatic architecture of the bridge overhead, the venue combines an outdoor climbing wall, relaxed social spaces, and a lively bar atmosphere—making it the perfect setting to reconnect Lisbon's travel community.
Event Details
📅 Date: Monday 22 June
🕔 Time: 17:30 onwards
📍 Location: Escala 25, beneath Ponte 25 de Abril, Lisbon
🍺 Bar: Open all evening with drinks and food available to order
👉 RSVP Required: Attendance is free, but registration is mandatory.
This is a casual, community-focused evening with no presentations, no panels, and no formal agenda. Join us to:
• Meet fellow travel professionals
• Expand your network
• Exchange ideas and industry insights
• Discover potential partners and collaborators
• Catch up with old friends and make new connections
• Enjoy a drink in a unique Lisbon setting
Whether you work in travel tech, hospitality, aviation, tourism, media, marketing, content creation, startups, or travel investment, you'll find your people here.
And if you know others in the industry, bring them along (after they've registered, of course).
🧗 Want to Climb?
As part of our partnership with Escala 25, attendees will have access to special conditions to try the climbing wall before or during the event.
No experience is necessary. Just bring your curiosity, a sense of adventure, and comfortable clothes if you'd like to give it a go.
After all, a little climbing feels appropriate for a travel community.
Please reserve your spot using the RSVP link so we can manage venue capacity and ensure everyone has a great experience.
About Travel Massive
Travel Massive is the world's largest community of travel industry professionals, connecting people across travel technology, hospitality, aviation, tourism, media, startups, destination marketing, and travel investment. Whether you're building a travel company, creating travel content, working for a destination, investing in travel businesses, or simply passionate about the future of travel, Travel Massive provides a welcoming global network where connections turn into collaborations, partnerships, friendships, and new ideas.
Join the Lisbon Travel Massive chapter to stay updated with future events www.travelmassive.com/posts/lisbon-travel-massive-991705117
Link to event pageJoin us for a causal get-together for travel industry professionals and travel enthusiasts. Come by, say hi, and enjoy a drink and some food (not included). This is a great opportunity to see old faces and meet new people in travel!
📍 Venue
The Dock at Montrose Beach
200 W Montrose Harbor Dr, Chicago, IL 60640
📅 Tuesday, June 23rd
🕔 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
👉 RSVP Required: Attendance is free, but registration is mandatory.
Join us to:
• Meet fellow travel professionals and travel enthusiasts
• Expand your network
• Exchange ideas and industry insights
• Discover potential partners and collaborators
• Catch up with old friends and make new connections
This is a casual, community-focused evening with no presentations, no panels, and no formal agenda. Whether you work in travel tech, hospitality, aviation, tourism, media, marketing, content creation, startups, travel investment, or if you just have a love for travel, you'll find your people here. And if you know others in the industry, bring them along (after they've registered, of course).
Link to event pageDiscover why Uganda is one of Africa’s most exciting and diverse destinations.
Travel Massive members, tour operators, travel advisors, media, content creators, tourism professionals and industry partners are invited to join the Uganda Roadshow Germany 2026, taking place in Düsseldorf and Munich this June.
Meet leading Ugandan hotels, lodges, destination management companies and tourism suppliers, gain first-hand destination insights, and explore new opportunities for collaboration and business development.
Why attend?
• Meet 15+ leading tourism stakeholders from Uganda
• Learn about the latest destination developments and tourism products
• Discover safari, wildlife, gorilla trekking, cultural and community tourism experiences
• Network directly with Ugandan tourism professionals and fellow travel industry colleagues
• Explore opportunities in tourism, trade and investment
• Enjoy authentic Ugandan hospitality, cuisine and cultural performances
📍 Düsseldorf – 23 June 2026
📍 Munich – 25 June 2026
The events are organised by Eastern Favourites Representation in collaboration with the Uganda Tourism Board and the Embassy of the Republic of Uganda in Berlin.
Attendance is complimentary, but registration is required.
We look forward to welcoming you to discover the Pearl of Africa.
Link to event pageThe Travel Massive Bali chapter is coming together for an insightful workshop and networking event sponsored by Airwallex.
Join us on Wednesday, 24 June, for an AI workshop designed for travel businesses, followed by networking with fellow industry leaders.
The workshop will be led by two representatives from Heads on Pillows: Dinh Dinh (Jasmine) Vo, Lead Account Executive, Southeast Asia, and Shaun Huy, SEO/GEO Manager.
Topics will include:
• Why GEO is different from traditional SEO
• How AI search actually works in travel and hospitality
• Why brand definition matters before AI acceleration
• Why GEO cannot be measured like traditional SEO
• Prompt monitoring and new success metrics
The workshop will be followed by an interactive session where you will:
• Learn how you want to be found versus how customers are actually searching
• Explore live AI brand prompts
• Receive an infrastructure audit for AI discoverability
• Walk away with actionable recommendations
The event will be held at Hyatt Regency Bali in Sanur. Networking drinks will be provided for all attendees, courtesy of our event sponsor, Airwallex.
About the sponsor
Airwallex is a global payments and financial platform helping businesses operate across borders with ease through multi-currency accounts, international payments, and modern financial infrastructure.
Community partner
Livit Hub Bali, a coworking and innovation hub that brings together entrepreneurs, startups, remote professionals, and impact-driven businesses through flexible workspaces, community events, and business support programs.
📍 Location: Hyatt Regency Bali - Jl. Danau Tamblingan No.89, Sanur
⏰ Time: 4 pm to 7 pm
Agenda
• 4 pm - Arrival and networking
• 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm - Workshop: The AI Search Playbook for Travel Businesses
• 5:30 pm - 7 pm - Networking drinks
Speakers
Dinh Dinh (Jasmine) Vo is Lead Account Executive SE Asia at Heads on Pillows, specializing in hospitality, with a strong foundation in project management and a proven track record of servicing hotel clients across Southeast Asia. She is currently leading a team to deliver data-driven marketing strategies focused on one core objective: driving Heads on Pillows (HOP) and maximizing direct bookings.
Shaun Huy is an SEO/GEO Manager at Artemis Digital and Heads On Pillows, helping brands grow their organic visibility across both traditional search and the new wave of generative engines across the global market. With a background spanning hospitality and tourism alongside broader multi-industry experience, he focuses on turning organic search into a reliable growth channel rather than just a line item in the marketing budget.
This workshop and networking are open to travel professionals across the industry, including tour operators, travel agents, DMCs, and hotels.
Please note that capacity is limited, so we recommend registering in advance.
Looking forward to seeing you on 24 June!
Link to event pageDiscover the Future of Travel Innovation - An Evening with Stripe, the Entrepreneurs Collective & Travel Massive
Travel Massive London, Stripe and the Entrepreneurs Collective, invite travel industry leaders to join us at one of our most popular annual events. Coinciding with the Travel Tech Show London, join us at a private gathering of industry pioneers, leading travel brands, investors, and disruptive startups reshaping the future of travel and hospitality. Our travel innovation and pitch night is one not to miss.
📍 Location: Stripe, 5th Floor, 201 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 3UN
🗓️ Date: Thursday, 25th June 2025
🕕 Time: 17:30 - 18:00 registration. Main event 18:00 - 20:30.
✅ Advance RSVP Required
Why Attend?
This curated evening is designed for executives seeking a strategic edge. Gain exposure to emerging travel technologies, meet the founders of a collection of exciting travel startups and engage directly with investors and innovators driving sector-wide transformation. If you're in London for the Travel Tech Show at Excel you're definitely going to want to make this a part of your schedule.
The programme features:
✔️ Live startup pitches from companies solving real-world challenges in travel operations, experience design, payments, and personalisation.
✔️ High-impact insights from leading entrepreneurs and investors on what it takes to scale innovation in the enterprise space.
✔️ Networking, drinks and bites with peers and disruptors, including C-suite leaders, VCs, and startup founders at the forefront of next-generation travel solutions.
Featured Speakers:
Ahead of the pitches, you can expect a lively discussion on growth, technology, innovation and partnerships with:
• Camille Drevillon, Chief Strategy Officer at Abercrombie & Kent Travel Group.
• Alisdair Luxmoore, Founder and Director of Vamoos and FleeWinter.
Pitching Startups:
• ReelTrip
• Awesome Adventures
• Kyte
Two more to be announced shortly 😃
Judges:
• Bobby Demri, ROCH Ventures
• Claudia Yupangcov, Redrice Ventures
• Bernice Brooks, Guinness Ventures
Who are the disruptors your business needs to watch?
As the travel sector continues to evolve rapidly, this event offers a strategic lens into the technologies and models that could define your next competitive advantage. Who are the disruptors your business needs to watch? Where is innovation driving new growth and efficiency? How should enterprise travel companies position themselves for what's next?
Join us to find out.
Questions about this event? Please email your event host: Matthew Gardiner, Director of Travel Massive London: matthew@travelmassive.com
Please note: when you register for this event (which must be done in advance) we will also be sharing your details with Stripe and the Entrepreneurs Collective to allow us to process your registration and facilitate your access to the pitch-night. There will also be photography at the event.
Link to event pageHere's the 10 latest classified ads:
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